How Much Compensation For A Police Data Breach Can I Claim?

You could claim from £72,440 to £152,900 for the most severe psychiatric harm for a serious personal data breach. This figure was taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) and, while it represents the upper end of what could be paid out, it does highlight how much compensation for a police data breach you could receive. A personal data breach is defined as any security breach that results in the unlawful or accidental alteration, destruction, loss, unauthorised access to or disclosure of personal information. Given the nature of personal information held by police forces, this is a very serious incident.

Under both the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, organisations must adequately protect any personal data they collect, store or process. A breach by the police is about more than the exposure of your information. It can represent a serious breach of trust by an organisation responsible for protecting the public and handling highly confidential records. If the breach has caused you psychological harm, financial losses or both, you could be eligible to make a data breach claim.

At How Much Compensation, our panel of expert solicitors understands the challenges that can follow a personal data breach involving the police. They work hard to guide claimants through every stage of the claims process, providing clear advice tailored to their circumstances. Speak to our advisors today to find out whether you could seek personal data breach compensation and how our panel of solicitors could help you move your claim forward.

Browse This Page

1. How Much Compensation For A Police Data Breach Can I Claim?
2. How Is Police Data Breach Compensation Calculated?
3. What Else Can Compensation For A Police Data Breach Cover?
4. Can I Claim Compensation For A Police Data Breach?
5. What Types Of Personal Data Could Be Exposed In A Police Data Breach?
6. Common Examples Of Police Data Breaches
7. What Steps Can I Take To Claim Police Data Breach Compensation?
8. Why Claim With The Solicitors On Our Panel Of Experts?
9. More Information

How Much Compensation For A Police Data Breach Can I Claim?

As highlighted in our introduction, you could claim from £72,440 to £152,900 in compensation for a police data breach for the most serious psychiatric harm. Every claim is assessed on its individual circumstances, with the amount awarded reflecting the severity of the psychological harm suffered and any financial losses caused by the breach. The table below contains JCG guideline compensation brackets for psychiatric injuries that should give you a good idea of how much compensation for a police data breach you could receive.

Compensation Table

Please note that this information is intended to act as a rough guide only. The first entry also does not contain a JCG figure.

Type of Harm	Guideline Payout Figure	Notes
Very Severe Psychiatric Injury with Material Damage	Up to £500,000 +	The data subject has experienced very severe psychiatric harm and material damage including a loss of income, medical bills and the cost of personal security.
General Psychiatric Harm - Severe (a)	£72,440 to £152,900	Marked problems relating to ability to cope with work, social activity and personal relationships with a very poor prognosis.
General Psychiatric Harm - Moderately Severe (b)	£25,190 to £72,440	A more optimistic prognosis, but significant problems relating to ability to cope with life and relationships.
General Psychiatric Harm - Moderate (c)	£7,740 to £25,190	Significant improvement to the individual's overall condition with a good prognosis.
General Psychiatric Harm - Less Severe (d)	£2,040 to £7,740	Factors such as the impact on sleep, daily activity and length of time affected will be considered.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Severe (a)	£79,080 to £133,000	Permanent, bad effects across all aspects of life preventing anything close to pre-trauma levels of functioning.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Moderately Severe (b)	£30,580 to £79,080	A better prognosis but with significant disability for the foreseeable future.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Moderate (c)	£10,810 to £30,580	Cases where there has been a large scale recovery with no grossly disabling continuing effects.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Less Severe (d)	£5,220 to £10,810	The data subject has undergone a virtual recovery within 2 years.

Talk to one of our friendly advisors today for further information on how much compensation for a data breach you could receive in your personal circumstances.

How Is Police Data Breach Compensation Calculated?

Police data breach compensation is calculated by assessing both the non-material damage and material damage caused by the breach. Non-material damage relates to the psychological harm you have suffered, while material damage covers any financial losses resulting from the incident.

Medical evidence is used to assess the extent of any psychiatric injury, with the JCG helping solicitors and the courts value this aspect of your claim. Material damage is assessed separately using evidence such as bank statements, wage slips, invoices or other documents that demonstrate the financial impact of the data breach. Bringing both forms of evidence together helps ensure compensation reflects the full effect the incident has had on your life.

If you’d like a clearer idea of how much compensation for a police data breach you could be awarded, speak to our advisors today for a free assessment. If they believe you have valid grounds to claim, they can connect you with our panel of solicitors to help you pursue compensation.

What Else Can Compensation For A Police Data Breach Cover?

Compensation for a police data breach can cover certain financial losses resulting from the breach of your personal information. As said above, this is known as material damage and the costs you can claim for have been set out here:

• Any loss of earnings due to being off work with stress or another mental health condition connected to the data breach.
• Medical expenses relating to your mental health. This could be therapy or counselling sessions, as well as medication costs.
• Reasonable costs incurred to protect yourself and your family after particularly sensitive police information has been disclosed. Depending on the circumstances, this could include installing CCTV, upgrading locks, enhancing home security or, in exceptional cases where the breach creates a genuine safety risk, the cost of relocating to a new address.

Make sure you have all the required evidence when seeking to claim material damage. Payslips, bills for medical care and any invoices for security measures can all be used. To discuss how much compensation for a police data breach you could be entitled to in your specific circumstances, talk to a member of our advisory team today.

Can I Claim Compensation For A Police Data Breach?

You could claim compensation for a police data breach if a police force failed to protect your personal information in line with data protection law and the breach caused you financial losses, psychological harm, or both. There are 4 relevant parties when discussing personal data breach claims:

• Data controller: Determines why and how personal data is processed, which includes any use or handling, storage or disposal of that information. The respective police service will be the data controller for the purposes of your claim
• Data processor: A data processor handles personal data on behalf of a data controller by following its instructions. Not all data controllers will use these external services.
• Data subject: A data subject is the individual whose personal information is being processed.
• The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): the independent UK regulator for data protection who has the power to reprimand and fine both data controllers and processors for any breaches of their legal obligations.

In order to sue the police for a breach of personal data, our panel will check to see if the following eligibility requirements have been met:

1. The police force failed to comply with data protection law.
2. A personal data breach involving your information occurred.
3. The breach caused you to suffer harm, such as psychological distress, emotional harm, financial losses or both.

If you’re unsure whether your circumstances meet these requirements, speak to our advisors today. They can arrange for our panel of solicitors to assess your case and explain whether you could have valid grounds to seek police data breach compensation.

What Types Of Personal Data Could Be Exposed In A Police Data Breach?

Many types of personal data could be exposed in a police data breach, ranging from basic identifying information to more sensitive records held for policing purposes. Personal data is any information that can identify a living individual, either directly, such as a person’s name, or indirectly when combined with other information that could reveal their identity. Police forces often process a wide range of personal information while carrying out their duties, making it essential that this data is stored and handled securely.

Examples of personal data a police service may hold include:

• Your name and home address.
• Contact details such as your phone number or email address.
• Financial data such as details on your bank and credit cards, for example where a fine has been paid.

The UK GDPR stipulates additional categories of personal data that are relevant to a police data breach claim. Criminal offence data, a fairly self-explanatory category, covers any personal data regarding any allegations or investigations into criminal activities, including unproven allegations. The other relevant category, referred to as special category data, covers information including:

• Your race and ethnic origin.
• Data relating to your sex life and sexual orientation.
• Any information regarding religious, political or philosophical beliefs.
• Personal data relating to your health.

This information falls under the special category of personal data because it is considered more sensitive. Both criminal offence and special category data therefore, command higher standards of data protection. For additional guidance on how much compensation for a police data breach you may be able to claim in your particular case, please reach out to one of our friendly advisors.

Common Examples Of Police Data Breaches

Police data breaches can happen in several ways, from simple administrative mistakes to failures in cybersecurity. Regardless of how they occur, a police force can become responsible if it fails to protect personal information in accordance with data protection law and the breach causes harm.

Examples of police data breaches include:

• An officer sends an email containing your personal information to the wrong recipient because the incorrect email address was selected.
• A police laptop containing unencrypted personal data is lost or stolen, allowing unauthorised individuals to access the information stored on the device.
• A cyber attack exploits weaknesses in a police force’s IT systems, exposing personal data that should have been kept secure.
• Paper records containing confidential personal information are disposed of without being securely destroyed, making them accessible to unauthorised people.
• A member of police staff accesses personal records without a legitimate reason and views information they were not authorised to see.

If you recognise your own experience in any of these examples, our advisors can explain whether the incident could form the basis of a compensation claim and connect you with our panel of solicitors for tailored legal guidance.

What Steps Can I Take To Claim Police Data Breach Compensation?

The main steps to claiming police data breach compensation are establishing how the breach occurred, obtaining further information about the incident, and preserving evidence of its impact. Ask the police for any additional details about the breach, then begin collecting documents that support your claim.

Evidence Needed To Support A Police Data Breach Claim

Evidence that could support a police data breach claim includes:

• Medical records confirming any psychiatric harm caused by the breach.
• Documents showing financial losses, such as bank statements and your payslips
• Correspondence from the police force explaining that a data breach has occurred, what personal information was affected and any action you should take.
• Any relevant correspondence or findings from the ICO.

How Long After A Police Data Breach Can I Claim Compensation?

You could have up to six years after a police data breach to start a compensation claim. That being said, it is always better to take action as soon as possible so talk to a member of our advisory team today to find out if you are eligible to claim compensation.

No Win No Fee Personal Data Breach Compensation Claims

At How Much Compensation, we understand that dealing with a personal data breach can be a stressful and difficult time. So our panel of dedicated data breach solicitors work to strict No Win No Fee terms to give you peace of mind throughout the claims process.

Our panel offers their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which brings with it key advantages over other solicitor contracts. A CFA means you won’t owe any solicitor service fees at the start of or during the claims process, and neither will such fees be due if the claim is lost.

In the event of a successful claim, however, a success fee will be deducted from your data breach compensation. The maximum rate that solicitors may charge as a success fee is legally capped at 25%.

You can speak to our advisors today for a free eligibility assessment as well as to discuss how much compensation for a police data breach you could be owed. Get in touch today via the contact information given below.

Why Claim With The Solicitors On Our Panel Of Experts?

The solicitors on our panel of experts can assist you by providing experienced legal support tailored to the challenges of police data breach claims. They understand how a police data breach can affect your privacy, wellbeing and finances, and work to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.

Here are just some of the services our panel of data breach solicitors can offer:

• Reviewing the police force’s breach notification to establish what personal data was compromised and how the incident occurred.
• Examining how the police force handled your personal data to identify whether failures in its procedures or access controls contributed to the breach.
• Obtaining specialist psychiatric evidence where the police data breach has caused recognised psychological injuries, ensuring the impact on your day-to-day life is properly evidenced.
• Calculating any ongoing costs that arose because of the police data breach, including reasonable expenses incurred to protect your privacy or personal security where the circumstances justify them.
• Preparing a detailed claim for the police force’s legal representatives that reflects the full impact of the breach and instructing specialist counsel if court proceedings become necessary.

Contact Our Advisors

You can get started with your claim today by speaking to our advisors. For a free eligibility check, and answers to your questions, you can:

• Call us on 0800 408 7826.
• You can contact us online here.
• Open the live support window on your screen now.

More Information

View more of our data breach claims guides here:

• Find out how much compensation for an NHS data breach claim you could receive.
• Read our guide on how much compensation for a GP data breach you may be entitled to.
• Learn more about how much compensation for a bank data breach could be paid out following a UK GDPR violation.
• See if you can claim for an HR data breach.

We’ve also included these external resources for more information:

• View the guidance on data breaches from the National Cyber Security Centre.
• This resource on Law Enforcement data processing from the ICO might be useful to you.
• You can access mental health services and support from the NHS here.

Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on how much compensation for a police data breach you could be entitled to claim. Additional guidance, as well as a free eligibility check, can be sought from our advisors at any time.